2014

The Commission is changing the rules regarding derivatives which are concluded and traded directly between counterparties (“over-the-counter“, OTC). It wishes that having OTC deals be cleared by central counterparties (CCPs) seated in the EU. Different regulations for financial service providers on the one hand and undertakings on the other hand, and a distinction between speculative OTC derivatives and those serving to hedge real corporate risks are to help improve the stability of the financial system.

2014

The current Euro crisis is mainly rooted in the Member States excessive public debts. Consequently, settling the problem of debt should be at the heart of crisis management. To this end, the Commission published a reform package on 29 September. It encompasses amendments to the Stability and Growth Pact and, at the same time, a macroeconomic surveillance flanking the Pact. Thus the Commission wishes to ensure that, in future, the Stability and Growth Pact will be applied in a more efficient, sharper and more thorough manner.

2014

The Commission proposes to entitle undertakings established in a third country to transfer their managers and specialists to their EU subsidiaries. To this end, a uniform procedure for granting residence and working permits should be established in all Member States. The permit is granted for the duration of the transfer and can be extended by up to three years. It is equally valid for transfers to subsidiaries in other Member states if limited to 12 months. Family member should be entitled to enter the EU along with the employee concerned without any integration measures being required before their entry.

2014

The first railway package of 2001 consists of three Directives which form the basis for the European railway legislation. According to the Commission, the present summary and recast version is to remove any insufficiencies, uncertainties and gaps in the regulatory framework. It further encompasses the removal of barriers to competition and the reform of regulatory oversight (1. Part), as well as questions regarding the development and operation of the railway infrastructure (2. Part).Its major aim is to provide for a non-discriminatory competition in the railway traffic market.

2014

The EU Energy Strategy 2020 is focusing on five „priorities“: (1) increase in energy efficiency, (2) building a “pan-European integrated energy market“, (3) consumer protection and safety and security standards, (4) further development of energy technologies and (5) strengthening the external dimension of the EU energy market.

The Commission criticises the current EU energy policy in that the internal energy market is still fragmented and the efforts by Member States to increase energy efficiency are “disappointing“. Moreover, there is a lack of energy system investments of EUR 1 trillion and technological progress.

2014

With the Lisbon Treaty the EU acquired new competences in the field of tourism which are anchored in primary law. In its Communication the Commission describes the “challenges” and presents an “action framework for tourism in Europe”. The Commission wishes to make the cultural and natural wealth of Europe better known, for example by introducing a “European Cultural Heritage Seal”. Furthermore, a publicly funded “voluntary” exchange mechanism for tourists is to enable “key groups” such as young people (up to the age of 30) and the elderly (65+) to travel to tourist destinations in other Member States during the low season. Finally, the Commission plans to conduct “awareness-raising campaigns relating to the choice of destinations and the means of transport to promote “sustainable and responsible high-quality tourism”.

2014

The aim of this Green Paper is to outline options for developing a European contract law (available in all official languages). To this end, the Commission presents for discussion various options for an “instrument of European contract law”. By this it means a construct of EU contract laws which needs further developing in particular with regard to the degree of its legally binding nature (legal form), the regulation radius (material scope) and the applicability to contract relations that do not cross borders.

2014

The EU patent is a third option flanking the national and the European patent and providing EU-wide patent protection. At the same time, a European patents court system is to be established. The aim of the EU patent is to provide applicants with an easier and cheaper EU-wide patent protection. With a court for European patents and EU patents, the solving of legal disputes on patent granting and patent infringements is to be more consistent and calculable as it avoids parallel proceedings before national courts.